Joe Jackson- Classic or Dud?

i know a lot of things that you dont... YOU WANNA HEAR SOME???

DOn't call me a faggot, not unless you are my frined

Then if you're straight, handsome and strong

You can wear the uniform and I can play along."

That tinkling piano, those beautiful bells that show up at the 3:00 mark of the single ... this, is pure pop bliss.

I could give a shit about the rest of his output - OK, Anthrax kind of made him retroactively cooler, but whatever - but for this one shining pop moment, completely and utterly classic.

Actually, the faux-orientalisms of "Another World" pretty much rule too.

Also, catch the bridge to 'Still Alive' off the new album, which cops the bridge from the dan's 'Barrytown' exactly for the first line, even duplicating the In the beginning.... When I saw the Joe Jackson Band in 2003, he saw someone right up front writing down the track list, and said that the only gig he'd ever done that at was Steely Dan, '93.

Oh yeah, I have found memories of CKLW (and Dick Purtan, who must've been there forever), albiet a LOT earlier on the historical timeline. Does it still exist? Is it still top 40? I wonder how far its signal travels at night, hmmm....

As for Joe Jackson, I dunno. *Look Sharp* was awesome, but he never came close to it again....well, okay, maybe *I'm a Man*, which was basically *Look Sharp II*, and came out only a couple months later, got 3/4 of the way there, but that was the second best album he ever did. (Graham Maby or whatever his name was = one kickass bassplayer.) After that, Joe got "eclectic" and denied new wave and seemingly started to believe he was an artist, and got worse, and then worse than that, and then even worse than that. I should go back and check out *Beat Crazy* (which is probably kinda fun) and *Jumpin' Jive* sometime. After that, yeah, a couple purty singles, "Steppin' Out" and "Breakin Us In Two" and...what else? Has the guy done *anything* worth hearing in the last two decades or so? I bet he thinks he keeps getting better, too, jeez. (But ps, no, sorry, Anthrax did not make him "cooler." Anthrax were never cool. Though covering Joe Jackson just like covering Public Enemy made *them* seem very slightly less worthless for a second or two, maybe.)

FOND memories (though actually repressed ones, when you get down to it)

For some reason my favorite Joe Jackson moment is the synth solo in Breaking Us In Two; it's the sound for which the word "plangent" was invented.

oh god no you shouldn't. you really really shouldn't. a horrible misstep, the beginning (and middle) of the end, and way worse than most of what came after it. and i liked the first two albums quite a bit.

This might sound wildly unlikely, but I want to say I remember a cover of "Night Time" by the Strangeloves (the same guys who wrote "I Want Candy") by Joe Jackson for a commercial about fifteen years ago. Ring any bells? Anyone?

Not about Joe directly but there's a really nice cover of "(It's) Different for Girls" on Marykate O'Neil's new album -- and it's also up on her Myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/marykateoneil

Classic for a few songs -- "I'm the Man," "Look Sharp," "Is She Really" yadda yadda, "Right and Wrong," "Steppin' Out," probably a few others. Dud for always talking shit about Madonna in interviews (and in song, that moronic line "the pop charts are full of pretty boys and immaterial girls").

How could I not have posted on this? Abs. classic of course, mostly just for the first two records, with "It's Different for Girls" the high point. I saw him play in NYC in 2001 and my wife and I were the only people under 45 in the joint. YOUTH OF TODAY BE MISSING OUT ON JOE JACKSON.

Did anyone else catch the final tour of the original Joe Jackson Band a few years back? Holy goddamn hell guys, I saw them at the Crystal Ballroom in P-Town and they absolutely ripped that place to pieces. They had an entire crowd of forty/fifty-somethings straight up pogo-ing like the world was about to end. And, mind you, the dancefloor at the Crystal is on springs, so. It was fucking madness.

Anyway, first two albums (Look Sharp, I'm The Man) and that beast of a bass player Graham Maby makes Joe Jackson classic forever.

Also, his autobiography is pretty great.

pretty soon now, he's gonna make a comeback.

I almost collided with him coming out of a movie theater men's room about 20 years ago ... after a showing of Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player.

also salute "I'm the Man" for dissing skateboards. Creepy things.

when i was really little i bought this K-Tel record (i used to only have my parents old record player), it was the first record i ever bought...but anyway, it had a bunch of early 80s hits like pat benatar and flock of seagulls and stuff...."steppin' out" was on it.

it seems so majestic and sad to me, that weird synth bassline and the jazzy piano chords that seemed sort of off kilter and "floating" to me (i never really had heard jazz before), but the sadness of it kind of freaked me out, like this was music for adults and it had adult feelings that i couldn't quite comprehend...the "we are young but getting old before our time" part was really scary to me, because i remember stuff about aging freaked me out as a kid, like how childhood couldn't last forever, you would have to grow up....

For a while he got more gold records than Elvis C.

that ain't no synth...

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more Graham Maby:

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Oh Christ what happened.

He had one big college hit in the early nineties; sounded a bit Crowded House-ish. Someone refresh my memory...

Beyond the use of piano arrangements and more rudimentary guitar, one of the odd things that doesn't happen in every band but was true both of the Attractions and Jackson's band was that the bassist in both bands was really killer and very up front in their sound. Graham Maby and Bruce Thomas were both so melodic and complex in the song arrangements. Both of those guys are excellent bassists.

"He had one big college hit in the early nineties; sounded a bit Crowded House-ish"

Ninteen Forever?

Oh, I forgot that one. I found the title of the one I meant on Wikipedia: "Obvious One."

Practically the whole Beat Crazy album is great.. despite critics tearing it apart. But 'I'm the Man' and 'It's Different For Girls' are also both great songs and some other early ones. Joe Jackson: Classic... great rather.

Marykate O'Neil's version just sounds bad to me.

i choose to believe it's a synth, i guess it was just mick karn whale hump style bass huh?

I went to see Jane Siberry at the Bottom Line and Jackson showed up with a transexual domina made up to look like a Cenobite.

My respect skyrocketed.

Classic dipped in classic sauce. Night and Day is a fine fine record.

That is all.

Still don't care if anyone calls me an early 80's whore:

Sounds really good lately.

Please be nice to a drunk Bimble. Don't do this to me. I'm going to play Steppin Out next. I can't help it if Christopher Cross rocks, probably.

STEPPIN OUT IS GONNA SYNTHESIZER YOUR ARSE

some people are 80's synthesizer whores, and I understand, I really do. We can recover from this.

Reposted just because it's so good.

Different one, this time. Thanks.

Steppin' Out is one of my favorite songs.

Do not miss his story on The Moth. Great stuff.

During the Olympics, I was convinced that the real Joe Jackson was going to 'step out' of the pool after a race in his sharp suit. http://www.olympics.org.uk/BEIJING2008/AthleteProfile.aspx?id=5648

I heard Steppin' Out in a Trader Joe's a week ago and had an "oh yeah that song is awesome" moment. I mentioned it to a friend and gave her the link and was like "best song ever" and she was like "I hate all 80s music" and now I secretly resent her.

Hahahah

I find it kind of hilarious that Joe Jackson is now held up as this unappreciated genius -- and often by people who couldn't be bothered when he was around in the 80's. He's always seemed like a fairly tuneful example of what would have happened if Elvis Costello had shitcanned Steve Nieve and hired Bruce Hornsby instead -- and that's about it.

Oh, so you're gonna hate on Bruce Hornsby now? Pfft.

i've got night & day and uh, another one it think --and i guess my thing with joe jackson is that when he hits (e.g. steppin' out) it's pretty much the best thing ever, but 85% of it is really unremarkable to these ears.

xpost

Yeah, really man. I'm not DOWN for any Hornsby hatin', okay. I'm just NOT. I never owned a Hornsby album, but you better not diss him.

Yeah I actually agree with you Will. I would get bored after an album's worth of Joe Jackson.

Also, Naive Teen Idol, who are these people who think he's a "genius". I mean haha no offence but the dude was no genius.

Another point off: he's REALLY fucking freaky looking. Especially now.

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2008/05/02/joe_jackson_narrowweb__300x371,0.jpg

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

He's in a close race with James Carville for who's going to turn into Gollum first.

Yeah, well, who cares about "freaky looking now". Last I knew Howard Devoto looked freaky and I wouldn't hold it against him.

ok just put on 'night side' just to be sure.

Is it goth?

... and another "another world" is sounding fuckin fantastic

i also ate a piece of leftover birthday cake made with really strong pot about an hour ago

Wait, what band or artist are you talking about that does "night side"?

Hahahah - "what happened? I'm confused."

jj's Day & Night is split into "Day Side" and "Night Side"

also, the picture of him in the gatefold is freaking me out!!

Hahah wow, yeah I figured out that somehow "Night Side" was one side of it. I bought that album cheap a couple years ago and was surprised how much I hated it aside from the singles.

I wish I could see the picture in the gatefold! I'm still absolutely KICKING myself for somehow losing the pictures I used to have of the inside gatefold of Kate Bush's Hounds Of Love. I specifically had xeroxed copies of them for years and now they're gone for some reason. God, I need that LP again.

he looks like a black albino person

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ue5DN3zOIMU/SKjvhxoVgxI/AAAAAAAAAIA/xPN2q4YBUow/s400/black+albino.jpg
http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2008/05/02/joe_jackson_narrowweb__300x371,0.jpg

fwiw i really rate "i'm the man" (album and song)

https://leylandkirby.bandcamp.com/album/we-so-tired-of-all-the-darkness-in-our-lives

"Steppin' Out" is a perfect song, what a towering achievement. those jazzy chords over that Kraftwerk synth baseline, so beautiful

cosign

when I worked at Burger King one of my coworkers swore that song was Billy Joel. wasted years not knowing who it was

Since it hasn't been mentioned in this thread, let me recommend 1991's Laughter and Lust as an excellent album that no one knows.

The Jackson song I hear most often in the wild these days: "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)."

Something about the arrangement of that song and its quick pace works well with Joe's basically unlikeable voice. Otherwise, he's my exemplar of talented songwriters you don't want to hear sing.

When I saw him play last year or so, he had along the original rhythm box he used on the song, which was pretty cool.

My fave is "Got The Time" - Joe Jackson as punk. Anthrax covered it, even!

And they sounded less punk than Joe Jackson!

I think all of his stuff is pretty good up through Laughter and Lust, I'm not sure I've actually heard anything later. But all of the '70s and '80s albums have good songs on them. And his jumpin'jive album isn't at all embarrassing. way better than the '90s revival stuff.

Look Sharp! and I'm the Man will always be my favorites, though. I heard them in real time as they came out, my dad liked those albums.

“Beat Crazy” rather successfully fits all of London Calling into a single track.

Bloody hell, how come I've never heard Beat Crazy before?

It does sound like The Clash, I agree, but the bassline is from Jacob Miller/Augustus Pablo's Baby I Love You So, aka King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown.

Those first few albums are filled with winners.

Just listening to the Beat Crazy album, Mad At You really sounds like The Clash, with its nod to Armagideon Time (Real Rock). [with apologies for only noticing this 40 years after the fact]

I love how it crams Peter Gunn on top of those basslines. Seems like an idea that arose goofing around in rehearsal, worked out into a whole song. I've never been able to get into Costello because his musical ideas feel samey and under-riffed to me. Jackson is a much more interesting bandleader and arranger for someone working in the same spaces. Graham Maby is a fantastically clever bassist, and maybe why the riffs stand out so much when Joe Jackson was sticking to rock as his idiom.

Bloody hell, how come I've never heard Beat Crazy before?

It landed in the cutout bins not long after its release.

Was just thinking about Mike's Murder, which represented another high water mark for Joe, and searched up this thread.

Overall, classic. I saw the Big World tour, he came across as a brilliant performer and arranger and a total asshole to his fellow musicians.

I am enjoying this 43 minute extended edit/remix of Stepping Out I discovered this week.

https://soundcloud.com/theofficialjorihulkkonen/so-jackson-step-in-out-jori-hulkkonen-edit

oh man

This rules.